Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE WEEKLY jabs TIMES. VOL. 19. 1878. :*WVfc, *"" ' NUMBER 16^L_ZZ__1_^ :_ y T ? ? -*sV iiBr>z> . ar j? uwiflU UUAU AH1) CLOVER. Growing and cultivating grass, with our Southern farmers, is a comparatively new departure and we have much to learn in this branch of our agriculturo. We uced to experiment more before we can fully understand the grasses best adapted to our cli* mate and soil, aud the best method of sowing and cultivating iu a latitude this far South. We have reason to belicvo that during the prcseut season a larger area of land will be sown to grass and clover by one-third than in any previous sid||lc seaeon, aud by hundreds of farmers who*have heretofore kept aloof from grass experiments. i*? Uy a judicious cultivation of c!6ver irod " fctass, with the aid of sheep and cnttlo, auy couutry, b'jtvevcr impoverished and worn, may be nfttflo in the course o*' a few years a land of fertility. We sow our laudsylo grass?the g*?ass grows without cultivation /?its root^fcrc'over rotting and enriching v' the soil whtl^ our stock by their rich drop* pings of manure add still more to its fertility, cularging the capacity of,/hc field for production. Thus by grass, culture we are ever improving our land and providing more food for our stock?enhancing the value of \ Oil r ftirma oc oIoa vnnninrt ^ VM? (UIUIO ua UIOV icupiu^ UClbUl |J1U1119 IlUIil our stock. No food for stock cnn be produced near s5mbeaply as grass, and hcucc bo who oulyjPBps' a few stock should take | advautagc ?rthis truth ?pd ligiitOfrthc cost - of keeping his iniinal?, as a dollar saved is j xl dollar made. Our section of country for | the capacity and adaptability for the culti- . vatiou of the largest and greatest variety of grasses and forage plants is unequalled.? , \Vo couceivo that the greatest drawback to j successful grass culture in the South since tho war by those who have experimented, | to have been caused from bad preparation of the land aud light seeding, in connection with the disposition of the farmer to allow the young aud tender grass to be tramped too severely aud grazed too constantly and close, ere the roots arc sufficiently strong ' and vigorous to secure a good hold in the soil. Of the many kinds of grasses and clo- 1 vers which have been tested and pronounced ' congenial to a southern climate and profitable for cultivation,^ we will endeavor.to * enumerate aud #t>ttimcut upon a few : "'hud CIjOVKK, j cither when turned under green, or from ! the decay of its long tap-roots It produ- 1 cos tine hay and can be grazed ; for either 1 or both purposes it is most admirable. It 1 grows ami makes a good yield up >n land of 1 u moderate fertility?clay soil is best suited ' to it. Any land that produces good wheat ' o..:.i i.~ ..?i ov. ?i i in n.nu l'? UU ilUil|lii;U l*? UIUVLT. Ill J^UillU against drought the land to be seeded should j bo ploughed dcOffc and the seed brushed in or rolled, the surface being level and the ! soil finely pulverized. Oue gallon or a little over is enough per aere. LUCERNE. 1 This forage plant is now attracting unusual interest in the South. It will not admit of pasturage except very lightly. The nutritive qualities of this plant are extremely > great, and stock eat the hay with avidity, r and thrive wouderfully upou it. Lucerne is not unfrcqucntly used by farmers alone for soiling purposes, for which it is invaluable. The yield is enormous. It is a perennial ; makes its appearance early in April and dies down the middle of November or earlier, if the fall is unusually severe. Cultivation : Make the ground as free from clo-'s as possible?let the land be such as was cultivated in a hoed crop, say cotton, lircak deep and thoroughly?a subsoil following after a two-horse plough is recommended. At all events, th; laud must be ploughed deep, that the tap-roots may easily penetrate through the soil, down deep enough to prevent the scorching rays of a noonday sun parching and sapping their life. The first year lucerne is delicate and easily destroyed, and every attention is necessary to prevent its destruction from weeds and grass. Sow only upon rich land, (any soil will do, so it is rich), in drills from 12 to 18 inches apart. Cover lightly, putting ten pounds seed to the acre. WHITE CLOVEIl docs well on sandv soil, and should be sown with other grass at the rate of 2 quarts of seed per acre. MKADOW OAT (JKASS. Among the list of grasses none is attracting more universal attention, and creating more satisfactory results in the South than the above named. Its cultivation seems,at this period, to have been quits limited.? This is undoubtedly one of the best winter grasses, and when its merits are better understood will bo highly appreciated throughout the Southern S'.atcs. The want has long been felt in the South for a grass that \V(lll!d I'l'iliv otioii snmlv 1 : 11 < I si mil I'lini'isl, nn abundance of winter grazing, and from what we can learn of the character of the meadow oat, it will justify us in saving that wo believe we have discovered tho grass at last. It is claimed for this grass that it is a rapid grower, and is valuable both for grazing and hay; that it can be grazed from November until other grasses put forth iu the spring. It is a bunch grass and does not spread from the roots, and therefore rerjuires thick seeding, say 2 bushels of seed to the acre. ORCHARD GRASS. Here we find another most valuablo grass. It comes c?tly, it productive, nutritious and palatable to all kinds of stock ; makes a permanent pasture, bears close feeding and is a rapid grower. It grows iu tussocks and should bo sown in conncctiou with other grasses. Two bushels of seed to the acre is nut too much. It is generally the case that this grass furnishcj good graxing in this climate all winter. ? BLUE GRASS. It is now no longer a question of doubt that blue grass can be grows successfully iu fbo cotton States- All rich limo lands will that grass sown in the spring will make no shofc whatever before tho following spring, 1 il . LI J- * ? iinu itieHne uinucs arc naraiy noticeable. | ThrqeorTour years are ticccssary to secure a gojd fco<J, and after that the pasture can be kefpt permanent. It grows in a limited amount of shade, and makes a beautiful i lawu. It is ouo of our best winter grasses, i From 4 quarts to a l^shcl of seed is recom- ' mended. Many farmers sow upon the < ground without auy preparation, and turn i stock on to tramp it in. 1 ^ TIMOTlflf 1 is only suite^Tor hay. Sow?n rich bottom land, well duincd. from 1 p?f k to a half i bushel ol seed per ticrc. i ' U^D-TOP OR HERDS ORASS I is admirably adapted to many portions of i Ike South., It will grow in mcdiumly rich I ?oil aad,produce fine crops of hay ; but the i land mtmTbe moist?^it 'delights in it fffBTSt'' i soil. This grass for hay is not as valuable I ;is Timothy, tho hay not possessing as much l nutrition, but this grass is nevertheless a highly profitable species, and should be 1 more cxtcusively cultivated.?So. Lire { Stock Journal. 1 l A8HES. The statement has been made?we have never seen it tested?that a bushel of unleached ashes weighs about forty eight or lifty pounds. Assuming it to be forty-eight " pounds, a top-dressing of twenty-five bushels to the acre gives 1200 pounds of fertilizers. 1 It is estimated that this quantity of ashes j contains about ouc hundred pounds of pot ish, three huudred pounds of lime, fifty 1 pounds of magnesia, twenty-five pounds of ohoSD^If poj'iV nod perhaps ten pounds of * mlpnuric acta.lTvvni bcsecii uIaTin?ne"jr" ire about equal in value to the best cotnuier- ' cial guanos, containing the very elements ' most needed by plants; while guano is val- ' liable mainly for its nitrogen and phospho- i rie acid. The ashes supply the phosphoric :I icid, but contains no nitrogen. This is the * main difference. The salts of ashes also ( ire generally rendered insoluble by water ' by the actiou of the fire, but can be made f soluble by chemical proccssos. 1 Ashes are a good fertilizer for anything 1 that grows, from fruit trees down to pota- 51 Iocs and garden vegetables of every kind. 1 As 1 tng as farmers can procure them at a 1 reasonable price it is one of the best fertilizers 1 hey can use. 1 They may be applied broadcast, in the 1 bill or in compost. Hut in composting carc 1 must be taken not to mix them with anything ' containing ammonia, as auimal manures of iny kind. From the permanency of their effects, and the number of essential elements 1 they supply, they form perhaps the ' most economical fertilizers to be had, and if residing near a town the farmers ought to make arrangements with the inhabitants to purchase all they have.?Ex. Tiik (.ituf.v.?The chufa is a species of \ nut grass but unlike the terrible garden pest, it docs not survive the winter. The planting seed must be gathered, dried, and housed. After you save what seed you wish, just turn your hogs into the field and they will do the harvesting. V 1 . -1 . 1 I? ? * f* - ' j\a regarus |>i;tu1111 ana cultivating, nrsi, | ' lay oft' the rows three feet apart, put in barn yard manure or sonic kind ol' good 1 fertilizer, bed ou, say two furrows, open the bed as you would for cotton, say, two inches 1 deep, as they grow near the surface. Drop one nut at intervals of about 12 inches ! apart, then cover. Plant about the 15th 1 of April. Should moles destroy any they 1 can be drawn as slips and reset, they never 1 wither for being reset. I reset half an acre ' last year and I do not think one died.? ' Keep clear of grass and weeds, and plow about twice. The yield is about 300 i or 400 bushels per acre; hogs prefer them ' to any other food. There is no comparison between corn and chufa; the hogs fatten faster on chufu, and 1 we do not. have the trouble and expense of i gathering them. They do better on light soil.?11. II. Moodik, in Rural Mcftscmjcr. Orchards.?A writer in the Practical Farmer says that he kept his young orchard well cultivated with hoed crops for several years. They grew eighteen inches to two feet in a season. Only one tree died. A neighbor set out an orchard at the same time and seeded it to grass. In three years one-third of the trees were dead, and those which lived grew only from two to six inches in one year. This is about the usual experience. ?? By your words and your actions compel the world to lnmor and praise you. THE TALKING MACHINE. New York, April 6.?The other dar i went out to Mcnlo Park, New Jersey, M spout the afteruoon in the workshop* Thomas A. Edison, the magician, vhCis making machines that talk. His laboratAy* is as interesting as Monte Crjste's cavc,j&d< his achievements make the tales of Arapfat sorcery seem credible. 1 saw the talktMB machine, talked to it, and it talked bnc^^E You have heard about it, of course, biftr^E story can not bo an old one for couic, nudy although the phoAogu3fi^Hj simple ns ;i j iek-knil'e, it cxoiti's ySP WpM the beholder as a tclegraplhwW^Brs uflHT this city towards lTuJaucIphia. xv?jfincr? station, and has no houses exceptEEdison'fl large laboratory and the houses of ji\chcna^ ists, machinists and assistants. Tne foriudr" is a great building, a hundred feot)o^g, tbff lower floor occupied by uiatfliipery. fcrorGrluH ing iu iron, and the upper hs and electrical laboratory. A JuLver of j wires cuter the roof, connecting \^flT%i.?ide] circuit oi American cities, and'tlrtroar? nine lightning-rods over the jxfaktjf the building. It is filled with a clavier like & rolling-mill. I found Edison up stairs talking wilh t|iC mouth piece of a phonograph, which ^[eare ?nd speaks wilh the eauie organ, afthi? sheet of iron, which is a tvuipauuui whent is spoken to, and a diaphragm whetrlt .alks. He was bent over it, and repentfd in a solemn voice the sage apothegm, "Iaty^niintra, cutrn, corn, apple seed and npple :horn, wire, brier, limber lock, threo mice an up the clock." "That's wrong,"^tttnebod/ said, aud he ooked up and laujfJMl and said he had forgotten it. lie thengreeted us cordially, jut with a diffident manner, as if not accustomed to society, and turned to describe to is the talking machine. ' . Thomas A. Edison is ratm?r above the medium height, unshaven and unshorn, slightly shabby, with a pair of bright, agjresivc gray eyes, illuminating an otherwise luiutcrcsling face. He is an Ohio man, md is only thirty-one. liis conversation ias a strong Ohio flavor. Indeed, in some espccts, he is provincial, for, if puzzled ibout a thing, he resolutely exclaims, "I'll ;it it yit 1" ias no electricity and no magnet about it. [t is a very simple piece of mechanism. It jonsists of a brass cylinder three inches in liauicter and eight inches long, mounted 011 ... : a 1 . 1 -M 1 111 nun iiauit'. ii11ii iiiriica wiui ;i cr.uiK Edison has substituted steam power.) The :yliudcr is reauicd with a fine spiral grove, ike tlio thread of a screw. Upon it is laid i sheet of smooth tin-foil, 'against which ests the needle which is vibrated by the ,'oicc of the speaker. The sound-waves diakc the tympanum ; the tympanum shakes .lie needle, and the ucedle makes small corresponding indentations in the tin-foil, as lie cylinder revolves. So now we found he tin foil cnoireled by lines of minute dots. ,vhich Edison said were "a photograph of -lie atmospheric waves put in motion by the i'oic i." "Now see," he said. And he lifted the mouthpiece and needle, turned the cylinder back to the point of beginning, replaced the mouthpiece till the needle was in contact with the foil, shifted the holt on, and immediately from the mouthpiece came, in a high, clear voice, "Intra, mintra, cutra, com," ?&c., down to "three mice" that ascended the household timepiece. The articulation was perfect.? The inflections and emphasis were precisely preserved. It was evidently a human voice. Tlicu lie tore oft' the sheet and put on another. "That sheet is uninjured, you see," lie sail. "It might be made to repeat that hundreds of times; it might he sent to foreign lands or kept to future ages, and it would sa} it just as well, if put on a cylinder like this." Then he talked poetry into it; whistled, shouted, whispered, barked, neighed, stuttered, crowed. Everything was returned with perfect modulation, the only difference being that something more than half of the vollimn Inn! honii Inct Tlw.n lent 'lied it satisfactorily. A lady and gentleman sang a round into it by use of a double (forked) mouthpiece, 'Scotland's burning, Scotland's burning! Look out! Look out! Fire ! Fire ! Fire ! Fire! Four on water! Four on water!" and the machine sang it over after them three times, with great spirit, sending the bars upon each other's heels in the most amusing hurry. The two tones of a bass and a contralto voice were also perfectly distinguished. They had a little metallic sound, but Fdison said, "1 can remedy that easily enough. I must subst itutc a membrane for that piece of iron, and a sapphire hn this steel needle." lie then informed the machine about "three blind mice" and about the aspiration and misfortunes oi Jack and 4 i 11, and various other matters, which it repeated with all the peculiarities and original utterance. The phonograph is very provocative of eccentricities of utterance, for to hear it crow, stammer and hiccup as it it were inebriated, is funny enough. [1ft Qfii *7-^-ohl ?td 4eliver for Junr?benefit?down !?put *itnl I r?tdipcou vso on tr?ve!et-'mV-[ou* / JttL WrA Ug-BtWe lands* Alow-^me, be?[ v?Hull!] |^g^oi|fc, commencing?to state ?[Oh? inventor now exhibited ' X^? AEUKPIIONE, NrWRjh tpakes ?}tc huuiuu voice pcrfocti}* iufoucjWoadistaut. He will fix one a^tlio -cn'ralibu of the I'aris Exposition grounds, which will shout "A greeting to itKc OldfcWerld froui the United States of ^Aaerica, yours truly, Unclo Saui 1" or nny|tft<^Mso?tthc operator chooses to say.? Thw, nWQbticipates, will bo of great value U> Ware weARls off shore, to enable steamers to hstl <lflh othi'r nuU iU'rlioi>n-> "??? *4 sea, nqfi eaablo looumotives to shout, "All out for Cotuuibus?tweuty minutes for dinner !" and, in short, to enable anybody to address 1urge masses of people lor any purpose, stuuipspeaking, for instance. This monster Python is as simple as a toy-whistle, far simpler than the phuuograph. The same tympanum is used, but it creates a voice by opening and closiug the valves of a steam whistle instead of by photographing the' souud-waves. Like the phonograph, however, it seems incredible how the insignificant cause can produce the tremendous effect. "What do vou cxncct to do with the nho uograph ?" 1 asked Edison "What is it good i'or ?" "I expect," he replied, "that it will be viilnwi irtil u liu 11:||i L I I S jilid business tnen instead of u short-hand nuicriucnsis.? They can thus save hundreds of dollars a year. They can speak their letters into it as fast as they can talk at the rate of a page of foolscap a minute, and an office-boy hired for three dollars a week can copy and send them, for it can be made to speak at any speed. To such correspondents as have a phonograph be will dispatch the sheet of tin foil, untranscribed, and lie will thus address them iu his own voice. "It will be used as a reader in families. I can produce a plate oh which an elocutionist can deliver the whole of one of Uiekeus's novels; I can duplicate the impression at the rate of twenty eeiits a copy, and every family that has a phonograph may lay the sheet on it and hear the whole novel read in the very voice of the elocutionist. I And all for twenty cents ! What a relief it will be for weak eyes ! What a boon to blind asylums! What a blessing to the millions who have never learned to read ! "It will be used to teach music, and to enjoy music, too. Any family may hear Louise Kcllogg's own voice at the cost of a few ceuts. it will be used to teach languages. Philologists will use it to compare different tongues. You sec that its articulation is perfect. Your own mind will suggest important uses to which it may be put." "What will the machine cosi ?" "A huudrcd dollars, I expect." Mr. Edison proposes to apply his discovery to many other practical purposes, it is claimed that at the coming Christmas there will be a thousand and one novelties in toys; dolls are to speak in any language that may be desired ; the animals in Noah's ark to give forth their natural tones of voice, and there are almost every kind of self-acting musical instrument, in every size and shape. The groat use of the instrument is expected to be found iu commercial life. It can be used in councctiou with the telephone, and messages may be recorded by the person sending and also by the one receiving, thus nreserviiH'a fiilolif v ill business; trnnsnntuiiis that hitherto lias been unattainable by any telegraphic progress. "A woman is a mighty handy thing to have about the hoise. She doesn't cost any more to keep than you'll give her, and she'll take a great interest in you. If you go out at night she'll be awake when you get home, and then she'll tell you all about yourself, and more too. Of course she will know where you have been and what kept, you out so late, and will tell you ; yet right .it'lnl. lI\,. irftlj llic.iu.l. *!...? ' I-I t((?vi OMV ptio till i/U^II H/lllll^ JfOll tlllU, OIIU I will ask you win-re you have been and what kept you out so late. And after you tell bor she won't believe you; you inusu't mind that ; and if alter going to bed she says she hasn't closed her eyes the whole night and then keeps up the matinee two hours longer, and won't go to sleep when she gets a chance, you inusn't mind that either; its her nature. ff t- * ~*l? I -Mil I III A STARTLING 7BAGKDY. K. I., April 5.?A terrible ingedy occurred this evening at the Opera JIousc, in Pawtackct, in this State, during mi at* tWoeo settqatidRal au^jrccklcst oxhibiltMtfc in ^rksiuanship, originally introdM^Ljflijf the stage by Frank Fray no and Hiulor. In this purlbrmonco Oharactor, a tobjects, shooting at-an nppl^-p^Ra on' the- head of another member of tBT?o?p(niy'Hw?wn a8 Jtlle. Volante, whb olsjappfetircd as a trapUI4POTIN(> \^TU A^BPLEOTKI) AIM. ?In order to intensify tne sensational chnraetcr of this net, Miss franklin, instead of tdtftig direct aim at the'apple on Mile. Volanttf's head, fuccd in an opposite direction ana obtained her range by means of a small ] ..a .1 5 ' u11 i vii piucuu ui< im: wing, x ins unrror has to be arranged at such au angle that its face will bring the face of the person supporting the apple directly in the centre of the glass. The holder of the rifle places the weapon over her right shoulder, keeping tlia triuu.nr xruard. iirtiasud u|oao nuJ to her bhoulder, and then takes aim through the sights at the reflected image before her. The trick has been repeatedly accomplished with success, but it requires great coolness and steadiness to strike the reflected applo with precision, and has always been deemed a foolhardy and dangerous experiment. A STARTLING TRAGKDY. This evening the variety entertainment passed off as usual until the rifle shooting aet, when the audience was horriticd by sooing the unfortunate trapeze porformer shot dead. Miss Frauklin displayed considerable skill in hitting her target and other objects while firing directly at them, and she seemed confident and assured wheu the final feat was to be attempted. Mile. Volautc stepped alertly to her station, smiling at the uiuliAurui ?i& Btbuj ilui sn lMnmnir t.lui npplcT an ordinary sized one, on the top or nor head, where it rested in her luxuriant hair, she stood motionless as a statue. Miss Frank lain also took her station near the footlights in front of the mirror, and deliberately aimed over her shoulder through tho "lass at her ill-fated friend. The audience sat in silence, curiously watching the performers and suspecting some deceitful trick, when suddenly the trigger was pulled and at the same instant a shriek resounded through the hall and the unfortunate Yolantc fell forward on the stage. A liOltIIIKIED AUDIENCE. Everything was now iu confusion, both beforo and behiud the footlights, the audience being in a state of terror at the denouement of what had ptouiised to be only a, pleasant bit of sensation. At first-it was only supposed that Mile. Yolante had been wounded, but it was not many minutes before the news spread that the woman had been instntly killed, the fatal bullet having entered her lorehend aud pierced the brain. Miss Frauklin was immediately placed under arrest by the local police, and is now locked up to await the action of the coroner. Sho seemed to be half crazed with horror at tho occurrence, only realizing the recklessness of her act when it was too late. Mile. Volantc, who so suddenly closed her career in this shocking manner, has only been on the variety stage four or five weeks, and no one at l'awtuckct or here seems to know her history. The tragedy has naturally caused great excitement in the Town of l'awtuckct. This accident will, of course, put a stop to all such exhibitions, uo matter who may attempt them. Our Glohk.?If I were in danger of becoming skeptical, says T. .Starr King, I believe that a vivid apprehension ot (ho revelations concerning our globe would appal me into faith. To think of this ball whirling and spinning about the sun, and be an atheist! To feel that we arc at the mercy of the forces that lash it like u top around the ecliptic and of the raving flames that heave and beat for vent; not more than an eighth of its surface inhabitable by man ; seas roaring around him ; tropic heats smiting his brain ; polar frosts threatening his blood ; hurricanes hovering in the sky ; earthquakes slumbering under our feet; the conditions of life dependent on tho most delicate powers, over which the wisest man is helpless?to think of these, and not to have confidence in a power superior to these pitiless forces, not to have a faith that the land is sheltered by a ceaseless love froui the hunger of the elements ! (lo, learn that you arc houseless, without the sense of (lod as overarching you by his power, twisting the furious forces of immensity into a protecting tent for your spirit home.?Exch a ngc. ? ? ? There are few who can dam up a a stream of profanity when suffering Ircui an aching corn.